A/N: Thanks for al your reviews, it makes me very happy that you like my stories. Makes me want to write more

I don't own anything

Chapter 3: Snape and uncle Moony

"Aurora, wake up," I heard in my ear. I grumbled and turned over. But then I heard it again and again and again.

"ok I'm up," I yawned. I looked at my clock, couldn't overslept. "Bloody hell, it's six in the morning!" I turned and stared at my personal pain in the ass. "Hermione what the hell?"

"You asked me to wake you remember?" she said smiling.

"Yeah, but not this early, really why?" I let myself fall back in my pillow.

"I always get up this early, well suit yourself, I'm going to the common room" she said and she turned around, walking away.

I groaned, great I'm up now. No way in hell I'm going back to sleep now. I sighed, might as well get up now.

Half an hour later I walked downstairs with a book in my hands. Hermione raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. So we stayed there, both reading in complete silence until the boys came down so we could go the Great Hall. This happened every morning.

Malfoy didn't appear in classes until late on Thursday morning, when Slytherins and Gryffindors were halfway through double Potions. He swaggered into the dungeon, his right arm covered in bandages and bound up in a sling, acting, in my opinion, as though he was the heroic survivor of some dreadful battle.

"How is it, Draco?" simpered Pansy. "Does it hurt much?"

"Yeah," said Malfoy, putting on a brave sort of grimace. But I saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away.

"Settle down, settle down," said Professor Snape idly.

Harry and Ron scowled at each other; Snape wouldn't have said "settle down" if they'd walked in late, he'd have given them detention. But Malfoy had always been able to get away with anything in Snape's classes; Snape was Head of Slytherin House, and generally favoured his own students before all others. They were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set up his cauldron right next to Harry and Ron, so that they were preparing ingredients on the same table.

"Sir," Malfoy called, "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm-"

"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," said Snape, without looking up.

Ron went brick red. "There's nothing wrong with your arm," he hissed at Malfoy.

Malfoy smirked across the table. "Weasley, you heard Professor Snape, cut up these roots."

Ron seized his knife, pulled Malfoy's roots towards him and began to chop them roughly, so that they were all different sizes.

"Professor," drawled Malfoy, "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir."

Snape approached their table, stared down his hooked nose at the roots, then gave Ron an unpleasant smile from beneath his long, greasy black hair.

"Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley."

"But sir-!"

Ron had spent the last quarter of an hour carefully shredding his own roots into exactly equal pieces.

"Now," said Snape in his most dangerous voice.

"Ron do it!" I whispered to him.

Ron shoved his own beautifully cut roots across the table at Malfoy, then took up the knife again.

"And, sir, I'll need this Shrivelfig skinned," said Malfoy, his voice full on malicious laughter.

"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's Shrivelfig," said Snape, giving Harry the look of loathing he always reserved for him and me. No other student get that look, no, only we.

Harry took Malfoy's Shrivelfig as Ron began trying to repair the damage to the roots he now had to use. Harry skinned the Shrivelfig as fast as he could and flung it back across the table at Malfoy without speaking. Malfoy was smirking more broadly than ever.

"Seen your old pal Hagrid lately?" he asked them quietly.

"Shut it Malfoy!" I said with venom.

He turned to me, glaring "I didn't talked to you Black, stay out of other people their conversations."

"I would if the person who is talking wasn't a git and insulting a friend!" I replied.

"Watch your mouth, Black, or else" he said narrowing his eyes.

"Or else what Malfoy? Should I be scared now. It's not like you can do anything right, because of your arm. Imagine it really was injured. That you actually felt the pain it really gives." I said back.

Ron snorted both could cover it up very fast. Malfoy glared at me but he turned around.

Cauldrons away, Neville was in trouble. Neville regularly went to pieces in Potions lessons; it was his worst subject, and his great fear of Professor Snape made things ten times worse. His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turned-

"Orange, Longbottom," said Snape, ladling some up and allowing it to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see. "Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn't I state quite plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"

Neville was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.

"Please, sir," said Hermione, "please, I could help Neville put it right-"

"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville. "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly.

Snape moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear.

"Help me!" he moaned to Hermione.

"Hey, Harry," said Seamus Finnigan, leaning over to borrow Harry's brass scales, "have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning- they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted." He cast me a glare before he turned back to Harry and Ron. I rolled my eyes, real mature.

"Where?" said Harry and Ron quickly. On the other side of the table, Malfoy looked up, listening closely.

"Not too far from here," said Seamus, who looked excited. "It was a Muggle who saw him. 'Course, she didn't really understand. The Muggles think he's just an ordinary criminal, don't they? So she phoned the telephone hotline. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone."

"Not too far from here..." Ron repeated, looking significantly at Harry and me. He turned around and saw Malfoy watching closely. "What, Malfoy? Need something else skinned?"

But Malfoy's eyes were shining malevolently, and they were fixed on Harry. He leaned across the table.

"Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Potter?"

"Yeah, that's right," said Harry offhandedly.

Malfoy's thin mouth was curving in a mean smile.

"Of course, if it was me," he said quietly, "I'd have done something before now. I wouldn't be staying in school like a good boy, I'd be out there looking for him."

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" said Ron roughly.

"Don't you know, Potter and you Black? Don't you what your father did?" breathed Malfoy, his pale eyes narrowed.

"Know what?"

Malfoy let out a low, sneering laugh.

"Maybe you'd rather not risk your neck," he said. "Want to leave it to the Dementors, do you? But if it was me, I'd want revenge. I'd hunt him down myself."

"Shut it Malfoy, or I will do it for you" I said, but at that moment Snape called, "You should have finished adding your ingredients by now. This potion needs to stew before it can be drunk; clear away while it simmers and then we'll test Longbottom's..."

Crabbe and Goyle laughed openly, watching Neville sweat as he stirred his potion feverishly. Hermione was muttering instructions to him out of the corner of her mouth, so that Snape wouldn't see.

The end of the lesson in sight, Snape strode over to Neville, who was cowering by his cauldron.

"Everyone gather round," said Snape, his black eyes glittering, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned."

The Gryffindors watched fearfully. The Slytherins looked excited. Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand, and dipped a small spoon into Neville's potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor's throat.

There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape's palm.

The Gryffindors burst into applause. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown.

"Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape, which wiped the smiles from every face. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."

We climbed the steps to the Entrance Hall. I was still thinking about what Malfoy had said and looking at Harry so did he, while Ron was seething about Snape.

"Five points from Gryffindor because the potion was all right! Why didn't you lie, Hermione? You should've said Neville did it all by himself!"

Hermione didn't answer. Ron looked around.

"Where is she?"

Harry and I turned, too. We were at the top of the steps now, watching the rest of the class pass us, heading for the Great Hall and lunch.

"She was right behind us," said Ron frowning.

Malfoy passed us, walking between Crabbe and Goyle. He smirked at Harry and me and disappeared.

"There she is," said Harry.

Hermione was panting slightly, hurrying up the stairs; one hand was clutching her bag, the other seemed to be tucking something down the front of her robes.

"How did you do that?" said Ron.

"What?" said Hermione, joining them.

"One minute you were right behind us, and next moment, you were back at the bottom of the stairs again."

"What?" Hermione looked slightly confused. "Oh- I had to go back for something. Oh, no..."

A seam had split on Hermione's bag. I wasn't surprised; I could see that it was crammed with at least a dozen large and heavy books.

"Why are you carrying all these around with you?" I asked her.

"You know how many subjects I'm taking," said Hermione breathlessly. "Couldn't hold these for me, could you?"

"But-" Ron was turning over the books she had handed him, looking at the covers - "you haven't got any of these subjects today. It's only Defence Against the Dark Arts this afternoon."

"Oh, yes," said Hermione vaguely, but she packed all the books back into her bag just the same. "I hope there's something good for lunch, I'm starving," she added, and she marched off towards the Great Hall. I think she's hiding something.

"D'you get the feeling Hermione's not telling us something?" Ron asked Harry and me. We both nodded.

Professor Lupin wasn't there when we arrived at his first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. We all sat down, took out our books, quills and parchment, and were talking when he finally entered the room. Lupin smiled vaguely and placed his tatty old briefcase on the teacher's desk. He was as shabby as ever but looked healthier than he had on the train, as though he had had a few square meals. Being a teacher here did him good. I smiled at him.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will only need your wands."

A few curious looks were exchanged as the class put away their books. They had never had a practical Defence Against the Dark Arts before.

"Right then," said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready, "if you'd follow me."

Puzzled but interested, the class got to its feet and followed Professor Lupin out of the classroom. He led them along the deserted corridor and around a corner, where the first thing they saw was Peeves the Poltergeist, who was floating upside-down in mid-air and stuffing the nearest keyhole with chewing gum. Peeves didn't look up until Professor Lupin was two feet away, then he wiggled his curly-toed feet and broke into song.

"Loony, loopy Lupin," Peeves sang. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin-"

Rude and unimaginable as he almost always was, Peeves usually showed some respect towards the teachers. Everyone looked quickly at Professor Lupin to see how he would take this; to their surprise, he was still smiling.

"I'd take that gum out of the keyhole, if I were you, Peeves," he said pleasantly. "Mr Filch won't be able to get to his brooms."

Filch was the Hogwarts caretaker, a bad-tempered, failed wizard who waged a constant war against the students and, indeed, Peeves. However, Peeves paid no attention to Professor Lupin's words, except to blow a loud wet raspberry.

Professor Lupin gave a small sigh and took out his wand.

"This is a useful little spell," he told the class over his shoulder. "Please watch closely." He raised the wand to shoulder height, said "Waddiwasi!" and pointed it at Peeves.

With the force of a bullet, the wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole and straight down Peeves's left nostril; he whirled right way up and zoomed away, cursing.

"Cool, sir!" said Dean Thomas in amazement.

"Thank you, Dean," said Professor Lupin, putting his wand away.

They set off again, the class looking at shabby Professor Lupin with increased respect. He led them down a second corridor and stopped, right outside the staff-room door.

"Inside, please," said Professor Lupin, opening it and standing back.

The staff room, a long, panelled room full of old, mismatched chairs was now empty except for one teacher. Professor Snape was sitting in a low armchair, and he looked around as the class filed in. His eyes were glittering and there was a nasty sneer playing around his mouth. As Professor Lupin came in and made to close the door behind him, Snape said, "Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this."

He got to his feet and strode past the class, his black robes billowing behind him. At the doorway he turned on his heel and said, "Possibly no one's told you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear." .

Neville went scarlet. I glared at Snape; it was bad enough that he bullied Neville in his own classes, let alone doing it in front of other teachers. Professor Lupin had raised his eyebrows.

"I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation," he said, "and I am sure he will perform it admirably."

Neville's face went, if possible, even redder. Snape's lip curled, but he left, shutting the door with a snap.

"Now, then," said Professor Lupin, beckoning the class towards the end of the room, where there was nothing except an old wardrobe in which the teachers kept their spare robes. As Professor Lupin went to stand next to it, the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall.

"Nothing to worry about," said Professor Lupin calmly, as a few people jumped backwards in alarm. "There's a Boggart in there."

Most people seemed to feel that this was something to worry about. Neville gave Professor Lupin a look of pure terror, and Seamus Finnigan eyed the now rattling doorknob apprehensively.

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," said Professor Lupin. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks- I once met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the Headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third-years some practice."

"So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a Boggart?"

Hermione put up her hand. "It's a shape-shifter," she said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione glowed.

"So the Boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a Boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears."

"This means," said Professor Lupin, choosing to ignore Neville's small splutter of terror, "that we have a huge advantage over that Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"

"Er- because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?"

"Precisely," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione put her hand down, looking a little disappointed.

"It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a Boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a Boggart make that very mistake- tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening."

I laughed at that, I could remember it like it was yesterday. Everybody turned to me. I blinked "Sorry, just a memory, carry on."

Uncle moony smiled at me and went on with his lesson.

"The charm that repels a Boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a Boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing. We will practise the charm without wands first. After me, please... riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!" said the class together.

"Good," said Professor Lupin. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where you come in, Neville."

The wardrobe shook again, though not as much as Neville, who walked forward as though he was heading for the gallows.

"Right, Neville," said Professor Lupin. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"

Neville's lips moved, but no noise came out.

"Didn't catch that, Neville, sorry," said Professor Lupin cheerfully.

Neville looked around rather wildly, as though begging someone to help him, then said, in barely more than a whisper, "Professor Snape."

Nearly everyone laughed. Even Neville grinned apologetically. Professor Lupin, however, looked thoughtful.

"Professor Snape... hmmm... Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Er- yes," said Neville nervously. "But- I don't want the Boggart to turn into her, either."

"No, no, you misunderstand me," said Professor Lupin, now smiling. "I wonder, could you tell us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?"

Neville looked startled, but said, "Well... always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top. And a long dress... green, normally... and sometimes a fox-fur scarf."

"And a handbag?" prompted Professor Lupin.

"A big red one," said Neville.

"Right then," said Professor Lupin. "Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your mind's eye?"

"Yes," said Neville uncertainly, plainly wondering what was coming next.

"When the Boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape," said Lupin. "And you will raise your wand- thus- and cry 'Riddikulus'- and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, that green dress, that big red handbag."

There was a great shout of laughter. The wardrobe wobbled more violently.

"If Neville is successful, the Boggart is likely to turn his attention to each of us in turn," said Professor Lupin. "I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you the most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical..."

The room went very quiet. I thought... What scared me most in the world?

My first thought was Voldemort- a Voldemort returned to full strength. But then I thought further. And I found my answer. Seeing my mother lying on the floor with a man standing next to him. I didn't have to think long to know who that man was, my father. It's not what happened in real life, but it was a good alternative. Knowing that my father really was a murderer, it scared me. I didn't want to think about.

"Everybody ready?" said Professor Lupin.

I felt a lurch of fear. I wasn't ready. I didn't think of way to vanish that image.

"Neville, we're going to back away," said Professor Lupin. "Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward... everyone back, now, so Neville can get a clear shot-"

We all retreated, backing against the walls, leaving Neville alone beside the wardrobe. He looked pale and frightened, but he had pushed up the sleeves of his robes and was holding his wand ready.

"On the count of three, Neville," said Professor Lupin, who was pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. "One- two- three- now!"

A jet of sparks shot form the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open.

Hook-nosed and menacing, Professor Snape stepped out, his eyes flashing at Neville. Neville backed away, his wand up, mouthing wordlessly. Snape was bearing down upon him, reaching inside his robes.

"R-r-riddikulus!" squeaked Neville.

There was a noise like a whip-crack. Snape stumbled; he was wearing a long, lace trimmed dress and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture, and swinging a huge crimson handbag from his hand.

There was a roar of laughter; the Boggart paused, confused, and Professor Lupin shouted, "Parvati! Forward!"

Parvati walked forward, her face set. Snape rounded on her. There was another crack, and where he had stood was a blood-stained, bandaged mummy; its sightless face was turned to Parvati and it began to walk towards her, very slowly, dragging its feet, its stiff arms rising-

"Riddikulus!" cried Parvati.

A bandage unravelled at the mummy's feet; it became entangled, fell face forwards and its head rolled off.

"Seamus!" roared Professor Lupin.

Seamus darted past Parvati.

Crack! Where the mummy had been was a woman with floor-length black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face- a banshee.

She opened her mouth wide and an unearthly sound filled the room, a long, wailing shriek which made the hair on my arms stand on end-

"Riddikulus!" shouted Seamus.

The banshee made rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone.

Crack! The banshee turned into a rat, which chased its tail in a circle, then- crack!- became a rattlesnake, which slithered and writhed before- crack!- becoming a single bloody eyeball.

"It's confused!" shouted Lupin. "We're getting there! Dean!"

Dean hurried forward.

Crack! The eyeball became a severed hand, which flipped over, and began to creep along the floor like a crab.

"Riddikulus!" yelled Dean.

There was a snap, and the hand was trapped in a mousetrap.

"Excellent! Ron, you next!"

Ron leapt forward.

Crack!

Quite a few people screamed. A giant spider, six feet tall and covered in hair, was advancing on Ron, clicking its pincers menacingly.

For a moment, I thought Ron had frozen. Then-

"Riddikulus!" bellowed Ron, and the spider's legs vanished. It rolled over and over; Lavender squealed and ran out of its way and it came to a halt at my feet. I raised my wand, ready, but-

"Here!" shouted Professor Lupin suddenly, hurrying forward.

Crack!

The legless spider had vanished. For a second, everyone looked wildly around to see where it was.

Then they saw a silvery white orb hanging in the air in front of Lupin, who said "Riddikulus!" almost lazily. I looked worried at him, why did he do that.

Crack!

"Forward, Neville, and finish him off!" said Lupin, as the Boggart landed on the floor as a cockroach. Crack! Snape was back. This time Neville charged forward looking determined.

"Riddikulus!" he shouted, and they had a split second's view of Snape in his lacy dress before Neville let out a great "Ha!" of laughter, and the Boggart exploded, burst into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke, and was gone.

"Excellent!" cried Professor Lupin, as the class broke into applause. "Excellent, Neville. Well done, everyone. Let me see... five points to Gryffindor for every person to tackle the Boggart- ten for Neville because he did it twice- and five each to Hermione and Harry."

"But I didn't do anything," said Harry.

"You and Hermione answered my questions correctly at the start of the class, Harry," said Lupin lightly.

"Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on Boggarts and summarise it for me... to be handed in on Monday. That will be all."

Talking excitedly, the class left the staff room. I, however, stayed. I wanted to talk to him and ask him why. Uncle Moony had deliberately stopped my tackling the Boggart. Why?

"Uncle Moony? Could I talk to you for a moment?" I asked. He turned around and smiled.

"Sure, Aurora, what is it?"

"Why didn't you let me face the Dementor? I could easily take it, you know that."

"Yes, I know, but Aurora, I was afraid of what it was going to be. What it would turn in to. I was thinking around the lines of your mother or your father, was I right?"

I looked at the ground. "Yes" I mumbled.

"Ah, you see, I didn't want to scare the others and I didn't want to give them another reason to hate you" he said.

I looked op. he smiled at me. I felt a tear running down my face and I walked straight into his waiting arms.

"I wish they would stop with all the glares and stuff. It's not like I did anything wrong. I'm just a kid." I said sniffing.

"I know honey, I know. I noticed that you made friends though. With Harry and Hermione and Ron. So you're not completely alone."

I looked up into his eyes. His blue eyes always comforted me.

"You really think their my friends?" I asked.

"Look for yourself" he nodded at the door.

I looked behind me and I saw them. they were waiting for me.

"I'm sorry professor, we didn't want to interrupt, we were looking for Aurora, you see" harry said.

"Not a problem atoll. Are we finished or is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?" uncle Moony asked me.

"No, I'm good thanks" is said smiling. I give him a last hug and turned to my friend. Wow it really felt good, calling them my friends.

The rest of the day I walked around with a big smile on my face.

A/N: wow this chapter went very fast to write. Hope you like it. Please review